Roma – The investigating judge in Rome has ordered the archiving of the investigation into the death of Mario Paciolla, the Italian United Nations aid worker found lifeless in July 2020 in his home in Colombia, where he was working on a UN project.
The decision, which follows a second request from the Prosecutor's Office, was accepted despite the firm opposition of the family, convinced that Paciolla was killed and did not take his own life, as hypothesized by the Colombian authorities.
The reaction of the Democratic Party: “Justice must not give up”
The members of the Extraordinary Human Rights Commission of the Democratic Party, including Susanna Camusso, Cecilia D'Elia, Tatiana Rojc and Filippo Seni, expressed their dismay:
“We learn with great discomfort of the decision of the Court of Roma. All the investigations confirm that Mario did not commit suicide, but was killed. The decision to archive the case is surprising”.
The parliamentarians have assured that they will continue to fight in institutional and parliamentary settings to obtain the reopening of the case:
"We owe truth to his memory, to his family and to Italy. Justice cannot surrender in the face of a murder."
A case still unsolved
Paciolla, 33, was working in Colombia with the UN Mission to verify compliance with the peace agreements after the conflict with the FARC. His death, initially classified as suicide, was from the beginning the object of doubts for the family and human rights organizations, which denounced anomalies in the local investigations.
The Italian filing closes – for now – a painful chapter, but the battle for the truth seems set to continue, with the family and supporters calling for a new examination of the evidence.
Article published on 30 June 2025 - 15:12
The shelving of the investigation into Mario Paciolla's death seems to me a strange decision. The family believes he was murdered, and I agree with them. The Colombian authorities did not do a good job.